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Skull of an ibis

Maker

(artist)
1819-1900

Title

Skull of an ibis

Date of Production

1874

Medium

graphite and white chalk on blue wove paper

Dimensions

Height: 17.9 cm
Width: 25.5 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.2469.2

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords


spines


Ibis

Related Works

Head of a frogmouth and skull of an oilbird Skulls of a gannet and a crane

Label Text

Although a great admirer of Bewick's work, Ruskin took a more analytical approach to nature. In his drawings he sought to show the underlying structure of the natural world, believing that in representing animals an artist should 'know how they are spotted, wrinkled, furred and feathered, and what the look of them is in the eyes'. These precise studies of birds' skeletons were made at the British Museum in 1874 in connection with 'Love's Meinie', a series of lectures on Greek and English birds published between 1873 and 1881.

Provenance

by descent to the artist's cousin and heir, Joan Agnew Severn (1846-1924) and her husband, Joseph Arthur Palliser Severn (1842-1931); his estate sale, Sotheby's (London), 20 May 1931, lot 93 (with D.1952.RW.2468.1, 2468.2, 2469.1 and 2470); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Captured on Paper, Animals in the Prints and Drawings Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/06/2002-11/08/2002

Drawing - Technique and Purpose, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 28/01/1981-26/04/1981 ...More

Drawings by John Ruskin, Moot Hall, Aldeburgh; The Minories, Colchester; Arts Council Gallery, London, 11/06/1960-24/08/1960 ...Less

Literature

Drawing - Technique and Purpose, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1981
cat. no. 210

Blunt, Anthony, Hand-list of the drawings in the Witt Collection, London, 1956
p. 44

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower left, graphite: "Fusit"; lower right, graphite, described: "Ibis"; lower left edge, brown ink, signed and dated: "Study for notes to Loves Meinie / J.Ruskin. 1874". Verso: upper right corner, first 2 numbers in blue crayon, the last in graphite, the 1st crossed out in blue crayon, the 2nd crossed out in graphite: "778 / 776 / 92^1 [the 1 is superscript]".

Collector's mark: Verso: lower right corner, stamped in black: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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